Here's What's New ...

October 2013

PMI's 2013 annual report is troubling. Apparently the Marlboro Man has been retired in favor of a new "Maybe" campaign that taps into a teenager's dreams of a wonderful life. PMI boasts that the campain is effective, and that means one thing, that teens are getting hooked at an accelerated rate. If "Maybe" Marlboro advertisements are appearing in your country (I've seen none as yet here in the U.S.) we'd greatly appreciate you sending high resolution photos to john@whyquit.com, indicating the date and location each photo were taken, and we'll share them online with the world. Sincere thanks in advance.

Many are trying to convince smokers that it's simply too hard to quit, that they are hopelessly hooked and should give up on "real" quitting. While true that there is no more deadly nicotine delivery vehicle than cigarettes, it's also true that fully arresting your addiction is vastly more do-able and far more wonderful than your wanting for that next fix suggests.

September 2013

A letter to President Obama, an addicted Nicorette nicotine gum users, encouraging him to investigate U.S. nicotine smoking cessation policy and the lies government health officals are telling to smokers about how to quit smoking.

There may never been a more courageous ex-smoker than 53 year-old Terrie Linn Hall, the 13-year cold turkey quitter and laryngectomee made famous by the CDC's March 2012 Tips from Former Smokers campaign.

May 2013

Smoking is scheduled to kill half of your smoking friends while crippling many lucky enough to survive. Friday, May 31 is World No Tobacco Day, a golden opportunity to reach out while hopefully still time.

August 2012

Joel has been rather busy during August creating new video stop smoking lessons. We took the opportunity to reorganize the video clips. Please help spread the word that quitters can have their very own cessaton counselor.

Imagine being a paid consultant to both Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline - the two stop smoking product giants - while at the same time conducting medical journal research into the most effective quitting methods. Imagine the conflicts created. This article shares a review by physician-professor Michael Siegel as he dissects a study co-authored by a financially conflicted researcher.

July 2012

As Joel shares in this linked Freedom post, as of July 6, 2012 "Never Take Another Puff" registered 4,069,162 downloads. If visiting, download your copy and experience the magic that happens once we become more dependency recovery savvy than our addiction is strong! Yes you can!

June 2012

Welcome to Turkeyville, home to WhyQuit's Facebook group! Turkeyville's primary objective is in helping newbies navigate getting started and the first few days. Instant education and support feedback, it is quickly becoming another valuable Internet resource tool for cold turkey quitters.

March 2012

The challenge of awaking U.S. health policymakers to the insanity of not only failing to support the nation's single largest block of quitters (cold turkey), but actually discouraging them as they fight to save their lives, continues. It's sadly frightening, as if no one is home.

Helen was a WhyQuit friend and volunteer who at the above link shared with us her battle with lung. On December 22, Helen's sister Maurren posted of Helen's passing on Helen's Facebook page. There she wrote, "Yesterday we sadly lost another family member. Helen Bradford will be sadly missed by so many people. I hope my sisters are partying it up in heaven tonight. So deeply missed." She lives on in our hearts and minds. Peace be with you Helen.

This free full-text study reviewed 2,925 varenicline, 229 bupropion and 95 nicotine replacement reports of suicidal/self-injurious behavior or depression to the U.S. FDA and concludes that "findings for varenicline, combined with other problems with its safety profile, render it unsuitable for first-line use in smoking cessation."

October 2011

Sadly, Freedom reported on October 7 that NoNic4Neal (Neal) died at age 53, just 37 days after being diagnosed with lung cancer. Our prayers are with Neal's surviving 9 year-old daughter, his wife, family and friends.

September 2011

On September 3, 2011, Helen, age 50, a four-year quitter, former thirty-year smoker, and New Zealand youth smoking prevention activist, was diagnosed with lung cancer. "I went to the doctor because I had swollen hands, feet, ankles and knees," recalls Helen. "She sent me for all sorts of blood tests and x-rays. The last was a chest x-ray that showed a shadow on my left lung. The doctor suggested that, considering all my symptoms that it was probably lung cancer." Follow Helen's journey on WhyQuit's Facebook page.

July 2011

Since 2004 headlines had touted Nabi's coming NicVax nicotine vaccine as a cure to smoking. After failing to prevail over placebo in a phase III drug approval study, this Bloomberg story suggests that NicVax is dead, just like many who waited and believed in its false promise these past seven years.

Polito's attempt to stir debate in Canada's largest medical journal (Canadian Medical Association Journal) over the fact that there have been 36,342 U.S. adverse event reports to the Food and Drug Administration, including 272 completed suicides, 323 suicide attempts and 63 cases described as suicidal behavior, and still no proof that Chantix is effective as a stand-alone quitting aid.

June 2011

While Pfizer Chantix marketing boasts a 44% success rate, a new study found that only 1 in 7 Chantix quitters were still not smoking at 6 months. This comes as U.S. Chantix adverse reaction reports top 35,000.

The Smoke Remedy infomercial repeatedly suggests to smokers that Smoke Remedy eliminates cravings, while the use instructions at the Smoke Remedy website state, 'At each craving or desire to smoke .. spray 3 times into your mouth.' Which is it?

A letter in the Journal Addiction questions whether or not Pfizer's controversial quit smoking pill varenicline is worth it. Also, the latest English varenicline quitting rate data suggests that Pfizer is vastly overstating the odds of success that real-world quitters should expect.

December 2010

Boston University School of Public Health tobacco control integrity watchdog Professor Michael Siegel has selected the United States Surgeon General as winner of the 2010 Tobacco Control Lie of the Year Award. The runnerup award went to Free & Clear.

New Years, the biggest quitting day of the year, is almost upon us. What a great excuse to share a basic how best to quit smoking article! Be sure to remember to send all tobacco using friends holiday or New Years invitations to explore WhyQuit.com. Also, a home printed version of Joel's free e-book "Never Take Another Puff" can be a life saving gift to put under the tree!

November 2010

Sandwiched between a tobacco-free boot camp and tobacco-free submarines, the U.S. Navy and Department of Defense actively encourage students attending Navy submarine training schools to smoke nicotine and relapse.

October 2010

On October 13 Joel retired from a decade of active management of Freedom, freeing him to do what he does best, assist each of us in staying nicotine free today. Sincere thanks Joel for the hundreds of behind the scenes management issues you address over the years.

New study suggests why U.S. quit smoking policy is a disaster. There is little communication between the eleven federal agencies charged with battling America's leading cause of death.

July 2010

There is strong evidence that menthol acts as an anesthetic agent that masks the harshness and bitter taste of burning tobacco and that the cigarette industry uses menthol in targeting African American and Hispanic communities. For these reasons a panel shadowing the FDA's official tobacco advisory panel has recommended that the FDA Secretary order removal of menthol from all cigarettes.

June 2010

While vastly understating the consequences and full price of living life as a nicotine addict, and treating those raising valid nicotine dependency and health concerns as if the enemy ("the antis"), this new 304 page tobacco harm reduction (THR) review should be read by every entrenched smoker who doesn't want to quit smoking. But if here at WhyQuit and reading, growing and preparing to fully arrest your dependency you'd be wise to ignore it, as it's fertile ground for tons of junkie thinking. Still, the review's comments about the cigarette being by far the most destructive form of nicotine delivery is beyond dispute (the review claims that clean nicotine delivery is up to 99 times less deadly than smoking).

Please help spread the word! What better time to begin the greatest personal awakening we'll likely ever know than spring! Why dread quitting freedom and healing? The answer is simple. Nicotine addiction is a brain priorities disease.

The National Cancer Institute's Smokefree.gov site contains 173 invitations to use quitting medications while bashing and trashing cold turkey quitting. Why?

On March 21, 2010 the American Association of Public Health Physicians (AAPHP) wrote the CDC calling for an end to discrimination against cold turkey quitting. This link is to a copy of the Association's letter.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) through it's Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) continues to turn its back on millions of cold turkey quitters. This is an open letter to OSH senior scientist Terry F. Pechacek, PhD by John R. Polito, WhyQuit's founder.

February 2010

Professor Simon Chapman of the University of New South Wales in Australia documents how unassisted cold turkey quitters account for more successful long-term ex-smokers than all other quitting methods combined and how health advocates have suppressed this message.

January 2010

WhyQuit Traffic Report

Historically January is the biggest quitting month of the year. Whether requesting an imagine, quitting video, web page or a copy of one of our quitting books, WhyQuit experienced 3,966,771 January requests (hits).

Read how the University of Wisconsin is attempting to manipulate the media into writing storeis this holiday season that will make smokers spend twice as much on quitting products.

Statistically, 70% of our smoking friends want to quit but don't know how. New Year's is the biggest quitting day of the year and our chance to reach out and invite them to explore the power of knowledge! What do we have to lose?

Read, sign and share a petition demanding that stop smoking studies and policy be driven by honesty, integrity and science instead of frustrations, profits and greed.

November 2009

Do you know the rule?

Use the Great American Smokeout to download, print, gift wrap and hand your smoking friend or loved one the knowledge, tips and insights needed to quit smoking. Knowledge is power. Help them turn on the lights.

It's hard to believe that the most popular free quitting ebook in the world continues to be blacklisted by administration health officials. Why?

September 2009

Although a rash of recent studies indicate that it may only take smoking nicotine once or twice before the adolescent brain begins begging for more, city and county councils across America continue to allow the nicotine addiction industry to daily assault passing children and teenagers with store tobacco marketing.

Physicians and researchers were stunned by Patrick Swayze's treating oncologist's assertion that once diagnosed with cancer that there is little additional harm in continued smoking.

It might surprise you to learn that 81% of smokers realize that they're committing slow suicide, that 93% of pack-a-day smokers admit to being addicted, and that last year 40% of all smokers made a serious quitting attempt of at least one day. What they don't know is that knowledge and understanding are the keys to lasting freedom.

Boasts by the American Lung Association's school-based Not-On-Tobacco (N-O-T) student quit smoking program that it 'really works' and has a '21% quit rate' are contrary to findings from two recent independent Not-On-Tobacco program studies.

Although many smokers fear weight gain when quitting a new study reports that nearly all cessation weight gain is temporary. Minor calorie and exercise adjustments can help avoid stop smoking weight gain.

August 2009

At last the recovery lessons shared at WhyQuit are finding their way into published form. While Freedom from Nicotine - The Journey Home will not be sold at WhyQuit, we're not trying to hide the fact that the book exists. Site visitors will continue to be able to download the free PDF version from WhyQuit's main page.

July 2009

As hard as this may be to believe, a second study confirms that "the odds of a spontaneous quit attempt lasting for 6 months or longer were twice that of preplanned attempts," 2.6 times greater to be exact! Why wait? Join us! The water's great!

This article reviews how clinical trial smoking cessation researchers snagged victory from the jaws of defeat and the potential cost of doing so.

A July 2009 study not only found that the odds of an unplanned quit smoking attempt lasting six months or longer are 2.6 times higher than planned attempts, it was also forced to admit that cold turkey quitters clobbered the quitting rate seen in those using quitting products.

Most who smoke or use oral nicotine have deep fears that life without it won't be nearly as satisfying. New research demolishes this unhappiness fiction. A May study published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research found that successful quitters were 21 times more likely to report feeling happier after quitting smoking (69.3%) than feeling less happy (3.3%).

June 2009

President Obama's recent comments about his 'habit' being '95% cured' while still smoking, with co-dependency upon nicotine gum for 28 months, evidences a recovery understanding that's an utter mess. He needs our help, a jolt of reality, a quality education and he needs it now. It will only take a few minutes to share your thoughts with the President. Together we can make a difference!

... but her message lives on. We lost Deb on June 4. Her sister will raise her 13-year-old daughter. View Deb's memorial guest book.

March 2009

Freedom's thread topic index has been updated by replacing dead MSN links with hot Yuku links. Sincere thanks to Joe J, JohnneyNoNic and Joel for tackling this project. A topic index of Joel's Freedom Message Board Posts has also been created and added to Joel's Library. It allows visitors to quickly locate many articles that were not previously tied into the library.

February 2009

MSN pulled the plug on Freedom from Tobacco's 9 year home at MSN Groups on February 22. Freedom has reopened at Yuku as Freedom from Nicotine. Yuku was able to migrate (move) roughly half of Freedom's old messages. It'll take a few months to repair links and replace missing threads but in the end the site should be stronger and more focused than ever. Older members are slowly finding their way home.

January 2009

On New Year's John released his new 244 page, free PDF e-book "Freedom from Nicotine - The Journey Home." It contains more than 400 footnotes, most linked to medical journal articles, and shares the research and science underlying the cessation method which, by far, undeniably accounts for more long-term success stories each year than all other methods combined. "Pharmaceutical industry influence falsely portrays cold turkey quitting as nearly impossible and non-science-based," says John. "The assertions are insane and it's time to fight back."

Read more than 150 user accounts written by long-term Nicorette gum users about the consequences of living life as a slave to pure nicotine.

November 2008

Michael Kinsley attacked president-elect Obama in a November 20 Washington Post op-ed for "fibbing about giving up cigarettes," asserting that he's setting a "deplorable example for young people." Read why the president-elect should ignore the motivational bait Kinsley dangles before him.

A new report ranks South Carolina 51st nationally in youth tobacco prevention spending. While the Confederate battle has flown 30 feet above the statehouse grounds since July 1, 2000, there is no flag and is no battle to save the state's youth from a chemical to Amercia's cheapest nicotine. Why?

Read how the the greatest medical research sham in medical history continues to be perpetrated upon smokers and no one seems to care.

October 2008

A just released report by The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), a non-profit medication watchdog, found that during the first quarter of 2008 that varenicline (Chantix) accounted for more reports of serious injury than the 10 best selling brand name prescription drugs combined.

June 2008

In trying to salvage Chantix from the FDA chopping block following reports that it is generating far more complaints of serious harm to the FDA than any other prescription medication, Pfizer is attempting to hide Chantix induced harms inside the normal smoking cessation withdrawal syndrome. The problem is that experienced quitters know the differences, are not buying it and sounding the alarm.

Widespread financial conflicts among panel members authoring the Clinical Practice Guideline for Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence May 2000 Update raise serious questions about the document's integrity.

The updated U.S. Guideline for Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence will be released May 7, 2008. The Guideline will show that pharmaceutical industry financial influence continues to own official U.S. smoking cessation policy.

April 2008

Increasingly, young and middle-aged terminally ill smokers, and their surviving families, are realizing the value of their stories to youth smoking prevention efforts and in motivating smokers to quit smoking, and sharing them online.

Knowledge and understanding truly is a quitting method, a lesson and path far too few smokers are taught.

March 2008

Knowledge and understanding truly is a quitting method, a lesson and path far too few smokers are taught.

Boston University School of Public Health professor Michael Siegel today accused the 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health of selling the scientific integrity of the global tobacco control movement to pharmaceutical influence.

Hooked on nicotine gum for at least 13 months, Senator Obama has led America's youth to believe that he is not battling full-blown chemical addiction but simply some nasty little habit that he claims to already have succeeded in ending.

Analysis of a new study suggests 10 of 11 Chantix users may relapse within six months. If so, how could the FDA have been so wrong about both varenicline's safety and effectiveness?

A new World Health Organization report predicts that the tobacco epidemic could kill one billion during the 21st century. If true, how much blame should be attributed to physician ignorance of substantive smoking cessation counseling lessons?

On February 10, New York Magazine published "This is My Brain on Chantix," a firsthand Chantix use account by Derek de Koff, a features writer, who after taking Chantix experienced vivid dreams, blackouts, hallucinations and contemplated suicide.

A February 2008 study by Professor Slotkin of Duke reviews the destructive impact of fetal and adolescent nicotine upon the developing animal brain, including celluar damage inflicted by nicotine in the neural tube stage in rats, a stage which starts in human embryos within 3 to 4 weeks of conception.

New Year's is by far the biggest quitting time of the year but what are the keys to success? Here, scores of ex-smokers hand you the keys.

November 2007

On November 20 the FDA announced that it had "received reports of suicidal thoughts and aggressive and erratic behavior in patients who have taken Chantix" and had launched an investigation. On November 29 a Dallas TV station reported that 55 suicides in Chantix users were reported to the FDA in just one week. Follow all Chantix developments as WhyQuit's primary Chantix / Champix article is kept current.

Still smoking? If so, help Swiss researchers by taking this very short, less than 5 minute survey.

A why and how guide to aid prison administrators in helping inmates and correctional officers break free from nicotine

August 2007

You can't call this book a million seller -- because it's not for sale. "Never Take Another Puff," a 149 page quit smoking e-book has now recorded its one millionth Internet download. It's a blockbuster that hasn't earned a nickle. And that's the way its author, Joel Spitzer of Evanston Illinois, wants it.

What is it like to be 15 years-old and find yourself hooked on smoking?

June 2007

On Sunday, July 1, England becomes the 11th nation to ban workplace cigarette smoking. Those stepping outside will have no choice but to fabricate new lies for allegiance to their mind's number one priority, smoking that next cigarette.

This important article by Kevin Helliker, a 2004 Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, is the first to explore how pharmacology quitting products reign supreme inside highly manipulated double-blind randomized clinical trails yet fall flat on their face in real-world use.

The UK NHS recently extended nicotine replacement therapy use to pregnancy and children from age twelve. A 03/07 review in the Journal of Health Psychology takes issue with the grave risks associated with this irresponsible policy.

Dr. Ginzel, a physician who spent nearly four decades studying smoking and nicotine, shares some rather disturbing insights.

January 2007

Sadly, smokers are being intentionally deprived of the most important quit smoking lesson of all, that nicotine dependency recovery is one of the few challenges in life where being 99% successful all but assures 100% defeat.

December 2006

How many times have you heard GlaxoSmithKline or Pfizer announce that during 2006 nearly all successful long-term quitters quit smoking cold turkey? Never. Although true, if widely known it could cost them billions in profits.

Are you in search of a holiday gift for that special smoker? Have you ever considered a gifting a link? This link could make the perfect gift. Joel has arranged and sequenced a number of his video lessons and articles as though he were presenting a full two-week quitting clinic.

An article aimed at getting students involved in both nicotine dependency prevention and cessation efforts within their school.

Joel's collection of quitting videos has mushroomed to 38 and just in time for the annual U.S. Smokeout. National quitting days are great excuses to send still smoking friends links to quality quitting tools.

Are you hooked on snuff, snus or chewing tobacco? Ready to reclaim your mouth, mind and life?

October 2006

A growing array of FDA approved and widely used quit smoking products promised to double cessation rates. Instead, on October 27, 2006 the CDC was forced to report that for the first time since 1997 the U.S. smoking rate failed to decline.

Imagine bringing your own personal professional quit smoking counselor into your home. Imagine your doctor handing smoking patients counseling lessons as they leave the office. Joel Spitzer's growing collection of more than 20 free video and audio quitting lessons are now available for download in Joel's Library

On September 29, 2006, Pfizer announced European Commission approval of Champix, its new quit smoking pill, boasting that "after one year, approximately one-in-five patients who received the 12-week course of varenicline [Champix] remained smoke-free." This article explores why real-world effectiveness will likely be substantially less.

Never Take Another Puff is a free PDF quit smoking book by Joel Spitzer that has now been downloaded 503,678 times since August 2005. Congratulations Joel!

September 2006

On 09/14 John was Fiona's guest on Simple Savings, a one hour World Talk Radio show with an Australian flavor. The show was archived as is available for listening at the above link. The program was broken down into three segments: the cost of smoking, why smokers smoke and how to quit.

May 2006

Smoked nicotine's dopamine/adrenaline high comes with a horrible price. The shortness of breath sensed on exertion and the sounds rising from crying lungs are being echoed in every living cell in the smoker's body.

A May 2006 Australian study has produced cold turkey quit smoking success rates that are twice as high as rates for those using the nicotine patch, gum, inhaler or bupropion (Zyban and Wellbutrin).

April 2006

Do you see quitting as the most emotional roller coaster ride of highs and lows that you could possibly experience? If so, it's time for a reality check. In this new addition to Joel's Library, Joel shares Mike and Sue's treatment journey as they endured a five year ride on the lung cancer express.

March 2006

Neighborhood convenience stores are enticing students to smoke nicotine. This article calls for an end to irresponsible tobacco marketing and for student groups to organize and fight back if the practice continues.